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David Moyes can afford to lose rumoured Sporting Kansas City target Winston Reid without impacting West Ham United one iota.

What’s the word?

According to MLSsoccer.com, SKC are open to a permanent move for Reid should the New Zealand international and Major League Soccer outfit agree to there being a mutual benefit in remaining together following his year on loan at the Children’s Mercy Park.

Sporting Kansas took a punt on Reid approaching the end of the 2020 winter market after the defender’s relentless onslaught of injuries left the 32-year-old out of action for two calendar years.

Reid is expected to be greeted with a multitude of potential suitors back in England come the New Year once his temporary spell in America is over, having helped SKC to reach the MLS Play-Offs as a frequent member of Peter Vermes’ plans with eight starts in 10 regular-season appearances.

The 25-cap international has re-established himself in the game, too, after shrugging off the early cobwebs to offer Vermes encouraging signs that he can make an impact when needed.

Reid will have two-years remaining on his £70,000-per-week West Ham contract once his Sporting Kansas loan expires, but is unlikely to be afforded a role at the London Stadium having quit the Premier League as David Moyes’ arrival altered the promising picture he anticipated under Manuel Pellegrini.

“I was on the schedule to play games under the previous manager, but then he got fired [and] everything changed,” Reid told The Athletic. “But that’s part of football – sorry, soccer – and I’ve been in football long enough, so I understand the mechanisms.

“And it’s totally fine. West Ham has to do what’s best for the club and I have to do what’s best for me, and I feel really good about this opportunity.”

Sporting Kansas hold an option to turn Reid’s loan spell into a permanent deal for an undisclosed fee.

Set him free

Should Reid and SKC agree that there would be mutual benefit to remaining with one another following his loan spell, West Ham must not stand in the 32-year-old’s way and allow the centre-half to secure a transfer as his future is far from the London Stadium.

Injuries have seen Reid’s importance to the Hammers dissipate with his last outing in claret and blue coming during the 2017/18 campaign, when he was stretchered off during a relegation tussle with Swansea City after his right knee buckled under his own weight early in the first-half.

Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena then arrived in east London that summer, while Moyes has seen the best from Angelo Ogbonna and Aaron Cresswell in a five-man defence this term.

Reid is a defender of admirable talent and one who former England international Danny Mills insists can pull people together thanks to his commanding presence, but is certainly now one Moyes and West Ham can more than live without.

“Just a voice when things aren’t going quite perfect, a voice of authority, a commanding figure to say: ‘Right, we’re going to do this is what we’re doing, this is what I want you to do.’ It can make such a difference,” Mills told Football Insider.

“It’s not always about how good the player is, it’s the authority that he commands, the respect he has from everyone else and that organisational skill.”

AND in other news, GSB would be heading for disaster replacing a key David Moyes player with a “fantastic” prospect.

After starting off the new Premier League campaign on fire with three goals in his opening three games, it’s fair to say it’s been a disappointing few days for Alexandre Lacazette.

First, the Frenchman produced an anonymous display against Rapid Vienna in the Europa League after taking the armband, finishing the game with a measly 6.4 match rating as per Sofascore.

And then, on Sunday night against Leicester City in the Premier League, 29-year-old produced yet another shocking display to leave Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta with a major conundrum on his hands.

With just eight goals scored in six league games, the Gunners are hardly firing on all cylinders, and when you’ve got a Golden Boot calibre striker in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang being played from the left, it inevitably raises the spotlight on the man through the middle.

And against the Foxes, Lacazette showed why Arteta must surely drop him from the next top-flight fixture against Manchester United at the weekend.

As per Sofascore, in the 17 total duels that he contested, he won just five, whilst he also committed five fouls, many of them for making rash decisions when trying to win the ball back for his team.

If Arteta wanted him to hold the ball up for the rest of his teammates, then he failed to do so. He made just 12 successful passes in total, whilst he had just 32 touches overall.

And when he did get a chance to fire away on goal, he invariably disappointed. Whilst he was perhaps rather unlucky to see his header ruled out by VAR in the opening few minutes of the contest, Lacazette did miss the one big chance Arsenal created, failing to get his head on a delightful Kieran Tierney cross.

It proved to be costly as Leicester hit the Gunners on the break and snatched all three points. With Eddie Nketiah breathing down his neck, and Aubameyang able to play through the middle, Arteta has got to make a big decision on his misfiring Frenchman.

West Brom’s return to the Premier League couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start as they find themselves winless after seven matches.

The Baggies sit third from bottom on just three points – and with basement boys Burnley holding a game in hand, it could be ever so much worse.

It’s thought that the pressure is now on Slaven Bilic and his position as manager of the Midlands outfit, perhaps quite unfairly given it’s Spurs before the international break, and then Manchester United after it.

You’d imagine the benchmark for those two matches would be two points, even if they had been unbeaten thus far.

As we have already mentioned here at Football FanCast, the Croatian really needs to deploy his star man, Matheus Pereira, through the middle. After all, he provided five goals and 13 assists playing in the number ten role during their promotion-winning campaign.

To enable this to happen, Bilic needs to find a viable option to play on the right flank and he can take his pick from Kyle Edwards, Matty Phillips, Callum Robinson and Kamil Grosicki.

There are serious doubts over the first two names and their suitability to this level of football whilst Robinson, who joined permanently this summer, is primarily a left-sided option that can also play up front.

That leaves an interesting question mark next to Poland’s recent hat-trick hero, Grosicki. Indeed, the 32-year-old was on the verge of leaving the club on the domestic deadline but his loan move to Nottingham Forest fell through.

Although it was a switch that the veteran winger didn’t really want to make as he wanted to stay and fight for his place, as revealed in an interview with Sportowefakty. That’s what Bilic needs, fighters.

He’s since been linked with a January move to Championship rivals Middlesbrough (per the Sunday Mirror (02/11, page 65) – but let’s try him out in the Premier League first, Bilic.

Grosicki has only ever played 15 times in the English top-flight and that was during Hull City’s relegation campaign. He still managed to deliver five assists, which is a pretty decent return.

His form for the Yorkshire outfit newcomers, delivering 26 goals and 22 assists from two-and-a-half Championship seasons, was enough to convince Luke Dowling to strike in January.

Former Tigers teammate Jackson Irvine once dubbed the Poland star “unplayable” and claimed that “you can’t afford to give him that much pace to run in behind” whilst ex-boss Nigel Adkins described him as a “massive threat to anyone.”

Whilst Grosicki is still at the Hawthorns, Bilic ought to utilise him, starting this weekend.

AND in other news, Guochuan Lai on verge of a cowardly move that would eclipse Hegazi sale…

Rangers Football Club have handed a long-term contract extension to one of their brightest young prospects this week, so perhaps it’s time for Steven Gerrard to unleash him on the rest of the Scottish Premiership.

Central defender Lewis Mayo has signed a deal until 2023 having been part of the first-team setup for several months now.

The 20-year-old was part of the squad during pre-season where the Gers kept a clean sheet against Champions League semi-finalists Lyon and has already got some experience in the Championship having featured briefly for Partick Thistle at the back end of last season.

He’ll now link up with the Scotland U21 side ahead of their European qualifiers next week – another telling sign that he’s ready for the next step.

Rangers will face a long and tiresome season, which involves chasing down Celtic before a possible tenth title in a row as well as a potential campaign in the Europa League.

Strength in depth will be needed.

Gerrard will be without Nikola Katic as the Croatian faces over six months out after picking up a cruciate injury during training whilst summer arrival Leon Balogun has also been out of the side through injury in recent weeks.

Therefore, a place amongst the Rs backline could become a reality for Mayo should his manager hand him an opportunity soon.

Rangers skipper James Tavernier lauded the youngster following the Lyon game, he said: “I thought Mayo was absolutely terrific, he looked solid at the back.”

Gerrard is evidently a huge fan too with Mayo continuing to train as part of the first-team squad and his versatility could prove to be a vital factor as the season draws on.

Peter Lovenkrands, his former youth coach at Ibrox, has tipped him for big things, he said: “I’m a big fan of Lewis too. He is a fantastic player who can play at centre half or step up and play the holding role in midfield. He did that for us. He has passing ability with both feet and is so driven. He will do whatever it takes to get to where he wants to go and I really hope he gets his breakthrough.”

Perhaps it’s time for Mayo to be unleashed this season.

With Jose Mourinho into his first full season at Tottenham, the expectations of a potential first trophy in more than a decade for the club has surely risen.

The Portuguese man is a serial winner, and has won big titles everywhere he’s been, including lifting the Champions League twice. And with the likes of Gareth Bale and Sergio Reguilon arriving from Real Madrid recently, the north London side look closer than ever to ending that wait.

Is it Mido or Pedro Mendes? This Spurs quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…

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And according to Italian publication Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Spurs’ transfer business in this window isn’t over, with Inter defender Milan Skriniar firmly in their sights.

The report has delivered an update on their pursuit of the centre-back, claiming that Monday could see the arrival of a concrete proposal from the Lilywhites.

It’s even suggested that personal terms have already been agreed with Skriniar, with Steve Hitchen leading the way in terms of negotiations.

Earning a reported £95k-a-week, Skriniar’s arrival could be the kind of signing that actually ends up overshadowing the signing of Bale.

After conceding 47 goals in the Premier League last season (the third-worst in the top ten), a new centre-back could do wonders for Mourinho’s side, especially given that they lost the experience and leadership of Jan Vertonghen earlier in the summer.

A new defender may be the one to take them to the next level.

One of the big transfer sagas of the 2019 summer window, Wilfried Zaha ended up staying put at Crystal Palace after months of speculation linking him with a move to the likes of Arsenal. But now, it appears Newcastle have set their sights on the winger.

According to The Sun, despite the Magpies waiting for the Premier League’s approval of their proposed takeover, they have earmarked Zaha as a potential transfer target for this summer.

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The report claims that a major squad overhaul is planned, and that soundings have been made over the Ivory Coast international’s availability – it’s further suggested Zaha is valued at more than £60m by Palace.

After hearing about the links to the Premier League star, Newcastle fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on their reported transfer target.

Some Newcastle fans simply called Zaha “overrated”, and urged the club to steer clear.

At 27, Zaha is in the prime years of his career, and he’s been Palace’s talisman for the past few seasons now.

After failing to secure a move to Arsenal last summer, it’s difficult to see why the Ivorian would want to stay at Selhurst Park for another season, and Newcastle could take advantage of that and make a big splash for him this time around.

According to The Independent, Manchester United are interested in signing Manchester City star Raheem Sterling. 

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has previously made it clear that he wants to bring in a new right winger and club analysts have been monitoring Sterling for some time.

Solskjaer has also identified Jadon Sancho as his top transfer target in the summer. The Red Devils have been linked to the Borussia Dortmund ace for a while and David Ornstein reaffirmed that they are leading the race to sign the 20-year-old in the upcoming window.

Understandably, this latest transfer update could be bad news for Daniel James.

After arriving at the Etihad Stadium from Premier League rivals Liverpool for £49m back in 2015, Sterling has emerged as one of Europe’s brightest talents, scoring 89 goals and creating 72 assists in total for the Citizens along with winning 56 England caps. Moreover, he is the club’s second-highest goalscorer so far this season, just behind Sergio Aguero and ahead of the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Kevin De Bruyne (BBC).

In comparison, James is yet to hit the same heights as his English counterpart. Furthermore, it is fair to say that the 22-year-old has struggled for consistency this season, as he has only scored three goals in the top flight. However, it is worth mentioning that he has provided the most assists out of all of his teammates in the Premier League (six).

The Welshman has registered four goals in total, taking 1.3 shots per game, averaging 0.5 key passes and successfully completing 1.3 dribbles on average in the Europa League (WhoScored).

Miguel Delaney reports that there is uncertainty surrounding Sterling’s future at the Etihad if City’s Champions League ban is upheld.

While it seems doubtful that Sterling will join United in the summer, if he becomes available, Ed Woodward could launch a bid for him. However, The Independent added that Real Madrid is the likely destination if the 25-year-old chooses to leave the Etihad. Zinedine Zidane is a known admirer of the speedster and previously admitted that “he’s a very good player, no doubt about that”.

Although it is far-fetched to assume the Liverpool academy graduate will make a shock move to Old Trafford, the fact that the club are looking for an attacking forward on the right flank suggests Solskjaer has lost confidence in the Welsh international.

Undoubtedly, if Sancho or Sterling end up at the Theatre of Dreams, James will probably spend a significant amount of time on the bench. Indeed, the Norwegian has given the winger plenty of chances to prove his value and he has largely failed to live up to expectations up until now.

United fans, do you think Jadon Sancho and Raheem Sterling would start ahead of Daniel James? Let us know by commenting below!

Just days after a momentous victory in the north London derby against Arsenal, Tottenham headed to St James’ Park and got the job done in their clash against Newcastle.

With only a couple of games left in the season, Jose Mourinho’s side have appeared to hit form at just the right time, and know that a 100% record from here on out could see them clinch European football for the next campaign.

One man who certainly showed signs of stepping his game up in the game against Newcastle on Wednesday night, was Giovani Lo Celso.

Is it Mido or Pedro Mendes? This Spurs quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…

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And following Mourinho’s worrying update on Tanguy Ndombele, it’s perhaps become even more imperative that the Argentine really kicks on.

Speaking after his side’s 3-1 victory over the Magpies, the Spurs boss said: “I know that Ndombele will not help us because his injury will keep him out for the next two matches”.

It means the Lilywhites will be without a midfielder, who for all his troubles, has shown himself to be one of the more creative and crafty players in the squad, particularly for a player in his position – as per Whoscored, he has averaged 1.8 dribbles per game in the top-flight, scoring twice and setting up two more as well.

On the other hand, Lo Celso, whilst a first-team regular under both Mauricio Pochettino and Mourinho, hasn’t had the kind of same impact in terms of goal contributions.

Barring his assist for Heung-min Son against Newcastle, the Argentina international had only provided one other Premier League assist, and is still yet to score in the division too.

The £36m-rated star must take on more of the creative workload at Spurs now that Mourinho doesn’t have Ndombele to call upon even if he wanted to, and there were signs of him doing just that against Steve Bruce’s side.

As per Sofascore, he completed both of his attempted dribbles, had 61 touches of the ball, made 37 successful passes out of 39, and provided two key passes too.

With Leicester and Crystal Palace to come, Spurs will need Lo Celso’s creativity more than ever. Otherwise, they face risk undoing all the hard work they have put in, especially in these last two games.

West Bromwich Albion continue to make significant changes off the pitch as they look to reshuffle their academy coaching setup.

The latest move sees former captain Darren Fletcher return to the Hawthorns so that he can pursue further steps in his quest to achieve the relevant coaching badges.

He joins Boaz Myhill and James Morrison as former players involved in the youth system.

Fletcher played 341 times in the Premier League, going onto win the title five times at Manchester United while he also has a Champions League winners medal in his cabinet.

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His experience and knowledge in the game will undoubtedly prove fruitful for the young emerging talents at the club.

Several members of the Baggies faithful have taken to social media to share their thoughts on the news, with the vast majority being absolutely thrilled with the appointment.

One supporter believed it was a sign of great the environment currently is at the club while another labelled it a ‘great piece of business.’

A further fan claims Fletcher will make a fantastic coach and manager when his time comes as one more member of the Hawthorns crowd praised sporting and technical director Luke Dowling for making such a decision.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

In other news, fans have been raving about one of WBA’s current stars…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

When Granit Xhaka impetuously threw a temper tantrum following his substitution against Crystal Palace, it really felt like the beginning of the end for his Arsenal career. The reasons behind him blowing up at the Emirates faithful was somewhat understandable, with the Switzerland international suggesting that his emotions were bubbling up after streams of abuse at both himself and his family.

But his ‘statement’ was simply that. An explanation. It wasn’t a direct apology, attempting to excuse his actions. If Arsenal fans inside the stadium at that infamous moment were partly to blame, then Xhaka too must assume responsibility for a portion of it. Instead, the 27-year-old side-stepped it, and left Unai Emery to handle the fall-out. And boy has the Gunners boss fluffed his lines.

In what no doubt was a tricky situation, the Spaniard immediately after the game insisted his then captain was in the wrong. To him, that was undeniable. Emery even publicly urged the midfielder to make an immediate apology. Xhaka’s response would come several days later. Fast forward a few weeks, and the Swiss ace has been nowhere to be seen, with the Arsenal manager admitting that he has left him out of match-day squads in recent games because the time wasn’t right.

Over the international break, Xhaka has arguably undone all the goodwill that he may have built up with the Arsenal fan-base with some strong words. He expressed that he is keen to sort things out with the club because he “can’t accept what’s happened with me”. Not exactly the kind of words you would associate with someone who is feeling genuine remorse for his mistake.

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So what does Emery do? Reveal that the midfielder is in his plans to make his first appearance for the club since the Palace debacle against Southampton on Saturday. Recent reports have suggested the Gunners are happy to let Xhaka walk away in January, so for the manager to publicly suggest he is keen to reintegrate him into the squad smacks of poor judgement.

It’s the latest in a series of baffling decisions and comments that have only served to crank up the pressure on the manager. You only have to look to after the north London side’s 1-1 draw with Wolves earlier this month, when Emery insisted “tactically it worked how we wanted” –  as per Sofascore, they had 10 total shots compared to the visitors’ 24.

With reports claiming that the Spaniard has just a month to save his job, his stance on Xhaka may be the final big call he makes as an Arsenal manager. And judging by how this season has gone, it already looks like another failure on his part.